


Coup De Foudre

by Unclesteeb



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Bucky Barnes Feels, First Love, M/M, Magic, POV Multiple, Sexual Content, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-10-31
Updated: 2016-11-16
Packaged: 2018-08-28 02:02:47
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 10,022
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8426611
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Unclesteeb/pseuds/Unclesteeb
Summary: His ears start to ring, almost painfully, and he braces himself for what he’s going to find when this thing is done misbehaving.It doesn't last long, maybe only a second or two but it's enough to have Bucky completely disoriented. It takes him a few blinks for his eyes to refocus and for him to be able to open them properly. When he does- when he does, he can't believe what he sees. It's Gabe.





	1. Chapter 1

Bucky remembered Steve first, then Gabe.

 

At first it was visceral memories. Just the press of lips here and the touch of a hand on his there. Then the memories grew and spread, became clearer. He remembered a tall, handsome man with a big smile putting out his hand for Bucky to shake. He remembered the feeling of butterflies in his belly whenever he would see the man come close. He remembered the feeling of his naked back pressed against a tree, rough bark poking into his skin. He remembered soft morning light strewing over a beautiful face and the puffs of breath that that froze in the frigid air when they left his mouth. He remembered whispering sweet nothings, _sweetheart, doll, mon amour._ Then finally, he remembered his name. Gabe Jones.

 

When Bucky goes to the Smithsonian for the second time, it’s years after the first. The exhibit on the Howling Commandos and Captain America has just been put up for the second time. They had taken it down after the mess with the accords happened and Steve became a fugitive of the law. Now that they were all back and legal the museum decided it was time to pay tribute to the great Captain Rogers once more.

 

Steve’s not Captain America anymore. Sam is, and the new exhibit includes this. It also has removed Bucky’s death date and memorial plaque, since Bucky’s not really dead. They did, however, add one for Peggy. 

 

Steve hadn't wanted to go see the new exhibit at first and when he finally decided to go, Sam practically had to pull him inside. The new memorial for Peggy is beautiful. Steve tells Bucky it's exactly where his used to be. There's a picture of Peggy, looking just as radiant and young as Bucky remembers, etched into stone along with some tidbits of her life. Bucky watches a few feet back as Steve starts to slump in upon himself. Bucky keeps watching as Sam laces his fingers with Steve’s and bumps their shoulders together. Steve’s shoulders rise and fall with a sigh before he leans his head down to rest on Sam. 

 

Bucky takes this as his cue that he's ok to wander around by himself. He strolls slowly amongst the pictures of a younger Steve (some including him). They barely look any older now, even though the two of them are both over 100. 

 

Then Bucky gets to the section on the Commandos and freezes. He closes his eyes and breathes in and out for a moment before he forces himself to continue on. There’s a giant mural of all the Commandos on the wall. When his eyes scan over the faces, his breath catches. 

 

It's the first time he's seen Gabe’s face since he remembered who he was, since he remembered how deeply, how intensely he loved the man. Bucky's pretty sure he still loves the man. Years and years have passed, but with certain things, certain parts of his consciousness and memories it barely feels like months have gone by. Bucky feels his heart clench up, and moves to the section with Gabe’s biography. 

 

**Pvt. Gabriel Jones  
1918-2004**

 

Bucky runs his fingers over Gabe’s picture. He presses his lips together and traces his fingers over Gabe’s in the picture. If he closes his eyes, he can almost feel what it was like to kiss him. He looks at the final line of Gabe’s biography, the one that tells him what he doesn't know already.

 

_Gabriel Jones is survived by his widow, Matilda, their three children and six grandchildren._

 

Bucky lets out a shuddering breath. He may have lost the love of his life, but knowing that Gabe got to live on and love again, have kids and fuck, grandkids- well, it makes Bucky feel better. Gabe got to love without the sad man he fell for during the war lingering around the edges of his relationship. He got to fall out of love with Bucky through grief instead of forcing Bucky’s forbidden love away. Bucky’s really glad that neither of them had to go through that. He knows he wouldn’t have been able to stop loving Gabe, he probably never will even now. He wonders how long it took Gabe to stop loving him. 

 

“Hey, Bucky,” Sam says behind him. Bucky whips his hand back from Gabe’s face.

 

He clears his throat and says, “You guys ready to go?”

 

“Yeah,” Sam says. 

 

Bucky turns around and heads for where he instantly spots Steve hanging by the exit. Sam stops him with a hand on his shoulder. When he looks at Sam’s face, his eyebrows are pulled together in concern. “You okay, Buck?”

 

Bucky lets his shoulders fall. He could easily keep his posture casual, but Sam gets him in ways that no one else does. There's no point in lying to him. Bucky twists his way around the truth instead, since no one knew about him and Gabe and he's going to do his best to make sure no one finds out. He wants to keep their love inside him. He wants to keep their memories safe. “Yeah.” Bucky says, “I just missed a lot, is all.”

 

 

Bucky goes on missions with the new avengers now. Sam’s the leader, since he's Captain America, followed closely by Steve and Tony Stark. Bucky knows that Sam is phenomenal at what he does. Even if he didn’t, just knowing that Steve trusts him enough to lead their team and wield his shield would tell Bucky all he would need to know. Steve’s always been a bit of a control freak, but the fight between the old avengers, hiding from the government and then getting reinstated to save the world from invading aliens took a lot out of him. 

 

Bucky had seen Steve shrink into himself gradually when he was given his shield back. Bucky didn't know his old friend as well as he used to, but even he knew that something was wrong with Steve. Sam had known too, before Bucky even did, probably. 

 

It had come out one night over dinner. The three of them lived together now in one floor in the Stark tower that used to be the Avengers tower, then was the Stark tower once more, but now is the Avengers tower again. It was some kind of condition of Bucky’s release back into the world. Bucky didn't mind being forced to have two babysitters too much. Living with the two people in the world that he liked best wasn't exactly a hardship. 

 

Steve had suddenly dropped his knife and fork and said, “Sam. Can you be Captain America?”

 

Bucky had expected Sam to choke, but he just calmly chewed his bite of steak and then took a sip of water before saying, “Thought you'd never ask.” And that was that. 

 

The two of them work together flawlessly, in every aspect of life. They love each other fiercely in a way that made Bucky’s stomach twist up in jealousy over what could have been. What he could have if him and Gabe had met in a different time, or if things had been different back then. 

 

Bucky’s lying in his bed when Friday’s voice comes into his room. “Sergeant Barnes, your presence is requested in Mr. Stark’s lab.”

 

 

“So what am I looking at?” Bucky asks when he gets down to the lab. 

 

“That's what we’re trying to figure out, Terminator,” Stark replies. Stark and Bucky aren't about to go drink scotch together and talk about the state of the world, but they work together pretty well now. Bucky thinks that Stark only lets him live there as some kind of apology to Steve for everything that happened with the accords. He tries not to think too deeply about Tony and Steve’s relationship. It feels a little complicated.

 

“Is it of Earth?” Bucky asks, folding his arms.

 

“We’re not sure about that either,” Steve says. 

 

“Did anyone call Thor?” Natasha asks. 

 

“Right.” Tony says, “We should, probably. Since I've been awake for, well almost 24 hours looking at this thing.”

 

“Is this from the Hydra base we looked at yesterday?” Bucky asks. He takes a step closer to where Tony has the item in question, under some kind of machine that’s examining it. Bucky gets a good look at the object. It's a simple green stone, about the size of his palm. It almost looks like-

 

“I brought it back here because I thought it was an emerald.” Tony says, echoing Bucky's thoughts. “I had Friday scan it. It's not coming up as anything at all. So, it's a little troubling.”

 

Steve puts his hands on his hips. “So, somehow Hydra got their hands on an alien jewel of some sort.”

 

“I don't like this shit at all.” Sam says skeptically. 

 

“Me either.” Natasha says. She hops off of the counter where she was sitting and strides gracefully towards the door of the lab. “Boys, call me if this thing acts up. Until then...” then she leaves the room with a wave of her hand. 

“Right I should probably...call Bruce, maybe call Wanda, Steve?” Tony says, exiting the room himself. 

 

Steve gives a big sigh. “I probably should.” He says, and then goes to do so, giving Sam a kiss on the cheek on his way out.

 

Sam’s still staring intensely at the stone on the table. He shakes his head incredulously. “Something’s not right about this. We find this stone in a fancy box in a Hydra base and not even Friday can identify it.”

 

Bucky furrows his brow. “A box?”

 

“Yeah, right there.” Sam says, pointing to another table.

 

Bucky moves over to it. The box is wooden, cedar. He closes the lid to it and gasps when he sees the intricate pattern on top of it. It's a shining gold and silver pattern that looks like it's been burned into the wood. The silver and gold threads intertwine and make a shape that almost looks like a letter.

 

“What is it?” Sam asks, quickly moving next to Bucky.

 

“I...I don't know.” Bucky says with a huff. He recognizes this box. He knows this box. But how and why? “I've seen this before.” He says. He knows that much.

 

“Okay.” Sam says. Sam puts a gentle hand on his elbow. “Okay, Buck.” Sam knows that Bucky often works himself up real bad when there's something he wants to remember but can't. He gives Bucky’s elbow a little pull. Bucky wants to shake him off but can't bring himself to. He feels himself getting upset and forces himself to move away from the box under Sam’s guidance. Bucky knows that he has a better chance of remembering something when his mind is clear. “We can talk to Steve about it during dinner. Friday, keep a picture of the box on file for us, okay?”

 

“Of course, Captain Wilson.” Friday says.

 

Bucky sighs and follows Sam out of the room.

 

Nothing comes to Bucky that night. He has Steve run down a list of every Hydra base they've taken down or visited together from the 40s up until now. Nothing clicks.

 

“I should remember!” Bucky says. He's so Goddamn frustrated he could scream. 

 

“Hey.” Steve says, he places a big paw on Bucky’s shoulder. “It's okay. I called Wanda. She will be here in a day or two with Vision. We’ll figure it out, Bucky. Don't worry about it too much.”

 

Easier said than done.

 

 

Bucky finds himself staring up at his plain white ceiling for hours before he falls asleep. It's times like this where he really lets himself feel, he can't seem to stop honestly. He thinks about his mom, his sisters. He thinks about his old friends. He thinks about Gabe and aches in his chest. He falls asleep pretending he's lying on the grass next to Gabe. It's a trick he's used a few times, pretending he's in an old memory and letting it wash over him so he can feel something good instead of the opposite. When he dreams, he dreams in French. He dreams of Gabe tickling his nose with a wildflower. He dreams of kissing Gabe’s full lips and whispering, _je t'aime._ He dreams of Gabe’s smile after he says it, of Gabe saying it back.

 

He wakes up when it's still dark out, and doesn't let himself weep when the other side of his bed is cold and empty.

 

 

When the sun rises, Bucky makes himself get out of bed and head down to the lab again. Sam and Steve are already there. Sam’s staring hard at the stone.

 

“Anything new?” Bucky questions.

 

Sam shakes his head. Steve’s staring at the box. Bucky goes over and stands next to him. “I want to remember it.” Bucky tells him quietly. 

 

“Yeah, I know.” Steve replies. 

 

“Uh, guys.” Sam says. “You might want to see this.” In an instant Steve and Bucky are bracketing him back over by the stone. Bucky clenches his fists, heart beating wildly in his chest as he stares at the stone in front of him.

 

The stone suddenly glows bright green. Bucky hears Steve swear and he’s instantly pulling Sam back closer to him. Bucky instinctively throws his metal arm out across his friends’ bodies. Whatever's happening here isn't good.

 

Then suddenly there's a blinding light and Bucky’s forced to close his eyes. He feels Sam’s body disappear from behind his arm, probably Steve putting himself between the threat and Sam, trying to shield him. Bucky’s reminded of Steve’s story about the Chitauri coming through the portal over top of Stark tower and about the death and destruction that followed. His ears start to ring, almost painfully, and he braces himself for what he’s going to find when this thing is done misbehaving.

 

It doesn't last long, maybe only a second or two but it's enough to have Bucky completely disoriented. It takes him a few blinks for his eyes to refocus and for him to be able to open them properly. When he does- when he does, he can't believe what he sees. 

 

It's _Gabe_.

 

Gabe Jones, lying in a heap next to where the stone used to be. He's dressed in his green army fatigues, the ones Bucky knows so well from his memories of the war. His body is limp and his head is bleeding. Something powerful swells in Bucky’s chest, 70 something years of emotion- most of it he didn't know that he was feeling during the time he was with Hydra- then Bucky’s rushing to his side. He's obviously breathing, just fainted. 

 

“Gabe. Gabe?” Bucky whispers, like if he says it too loud he’ll wake up and Gabe will disappear. He's had this dream before, or something like it, finding Gabe again and having him ripped from his grasp when he wakes or the dream shifts into something ugly and wretched. 

 

“Sweetheart wake up.” He says, a little louder. Gabe’s skin feels real under his hands. He can't bear to think about the why right now. He tries tapping the side of Gabe’s face with his palm and giving his shoulders a little shake. Behind him, he hears Sam mumbling something about _sweetheart_? and Steve swearing softly, probably just as confused as Bucky is.

 

After another gentle shake Gabe’s eyes pop open and he sucks in a giant breath. His eyes fly around the room before they settle on Bucky’s face in front of him, then they widen in shock.

 

“Buck?” Gabe says and it sounds strangled.

 

Bucky can't bear to let go of Gabe’s face. He's so warm under his hand, he's here, he's _here_. “It's me, yeah.” He manages in reply.

 

“You're- you’re-” Gabe tries but Bucky interrupts him by kissing him firm on the mouth, he can’t help himself. He’s been wishing he could kiss Gabe one last time for so damn long. Gabe doesn't really kiss back, just purses his lips a little in his confusion. He brings his hand up and cups Bucky’s face. When Bucky pulls away and blinks, his eyes are wet at the corners. “Your hair… why’s it… Jesus Christ. Sarge you're _dead_. You're dead and Cap’s dead. How the- you're dead!”

 

“It didn't take. I'm here.” Bucky says, he strokes the side of Gabe’s face. He feels like he can barely breathe. He must be dreaming, maybe Hydra’s got him again.

 

“Is that Gabe Jones, like _the_ Gabe Jones? The one I had an action figure of when I was nine?” Sam says, snapping Bucky out of his thoughts.

 

Bucky looks over to them. Steve's gone completely pale, his hand’s wrapped completely up in Sam’s shirt. Steve swallows hard and nods, almost like he's afraid to talk.

 

“How the hell-” Sam starts then shakes his head and flings his hands up. “You think I'd be used to this kinda shit by now.”

 

Steve slowly unclenches his fist from Sam's shirt. He clears his throat and moves hesitantly until he's crouched down next to Gabe. “We can figure all that out later. For now, uh, hi Gabe. I didn't die either.” 

 

Gabe’s eyes widen again at the sight of Steve. He flicks his gaze between Steve and Bucky both for a minute before his face loses all it's color and he promptly passes out again.

 

When Gabe wakes up again, Bucky’s got him pulled into his lap. Steve’s sitting with his legs crossed next to him. Sam’s just left the room to go inform everyone else about Gabe’s arrival. Bucky told him to make sure everyone stayed away, especially Tony. Not only would Tony’s _intense_ personality not help anything, but seeing Howard Stark’s kid wouldn't be too great for Gabe either.

 

“Bucky?” Gabe says, blinking his eyes a few times. 

 

“I'm right here. Didn't go anywhere.” Bucky’s heart feels like it's about to explode. He leans down to give Gabe another kiss, mostly to remind himself that this is all real. Gabe kisses back this time, sleepy and chaste but the feeling of their lips together makes Bucky’s eyes wet at their edges again. 

 

“Not in front of Steve. He doesn't know, Sarge.” Gabe slurs. He's pretty out of it. His eyes are barely open. Bucky can understand why. 

 

“It's okay, Gabe.” Steve soothes. “You guys can kiss all you want. I won't tell anyone. I don't mind.” Bucky’s gut swoops low with guilt at Steve’s words. He tries his hardest to not feel guilty about never telling Steve about the two of them. He refuses to look up at Steve’s face. 

 

“Good. Give me another then, Buck.” Gabe tells him. He smiles and closes his eyes. Bucky leans down and kisses him again, a bit deeper this time. 

 

Bucky feels like his world has tipped on its side. He knows he isn't thinking clearly. He knows he should be analyzing why the hell his lover from the 40s is suddenly in the damn future but he can't bring himself to. He wants to live in this moment forever. He thinks maybe he's allowed to for a while. Steve doesn't seem to be in a hurry to start problem solving. 

 

“Why don't we get you guys back upstairs.” Steve says gently. “Bucky has a nice bed you can sleep in. Get your strength back a bit.”

 

“Right.” Bucky manages, finally risking a glance up at Steve’s face. His eyes are swimming with concern and confusion. He gives Bucky an encouraging nod and the two of them help Gabe up to his feet. Just outside the lab, Gabe stumbles and almost falls. Bucky sweeps him up off his feet bridal style and carries him to the elevator. 

 

“Damn, when did you get so strong, Bucky?” Gabe asks. He's closed his eyes again. He burrows his face into Bucky’s chest and Bucky almost loses it. 

 

Will Gabe still love him if he knows what Bucky’s done? Does Bucky even need to tell him? Sure he can explain the metal arm, but can Gabe really look past the murderer that Bucky’s become?

 

Bucky swallows hard and says, “A long time ago, _mon amour_.”

 

With Steve’s help, he gets Gabe into bed. Gabe’s almost asleep as soon as his head hits the pillow. Time travel probably takes a lot out of a guy, Bucky supposes.

 

Steve looks at him, eyebrows furrowed. “You ok?” He asks.

 

Bucky shrugs. “I don't know.”

 

Steve’s shoulders slump and he nods. “This is real, Buck.”

 

Bucky nods and lets out a breath. If Steve says it's real, then maybe it is. Steve says, “I'm gonna go get you both some water, maybe something to eat for when he wakes up.” He gives Bucky once last glance before he shuts the door carefully behind him.

 

Bucky climbs back onto his bed. Gabe stirs a little. 

 

“Sweetheart I'm gonna take off your clothes okay? Then you can sleep.”

 

“You have to sleep with me, love. It's not every day we get a chance like this.”

 

Bucky squeezes his eyes shut and tries not to sob. “Of course I will.” 

 

He gets Gabe down to his underwear and climbs into the bed next to him, making sure that if Gabe rolls over on him he will hit his right shoulder. They can save the metal arm talk for when he wakes up. Gabe has a few scratches and cuts on his arms and torso from the mission he must have just been on. Bucky places a kiss to one on Gabe’s shoulder. Gabe makes a happy sound and rolls over to curl into Bucky’s body. Bucky wraps his arm tightly around him and says, “ _je t'aime_.” Gabe doesn't reply, just gives Bucky a little sleepy smile.

 

Bucky looks at Gabe and listens to his breathing even out as he falls deeper into sleep. This is better than any dream he's ever had. This is better than anything his imagination could have cooked up. He presses a kiss to Gabe’s forehead. It's still early in the day, but Bucky almost wants to force himself to sleep to see if this is really all a dream. He almost wants to wake up strapped to a chair in the bottom of a Hydra base. He can't possibly deserve this second chance. He can't possibly-

 

He pushes down his dread as low as it can go. He pulls Gabe in even tighter, brushes his nose to the top of Gabe’s head and forces himself to just breathe.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bucky's seen enough sci-fi movies to know that the cardinal rule of time travel is that the person has to be put back into their own time to set the universe’s alignment back on track. Bucky's also been a superhero long enough now to know that sci-fi books and movies are usually bullshit. He thinks about Gabe’s wife and family. Do they even exist now if he's here? There's been no reports of chaos today. Maybe the universe is just fine. Maybe they don't need to send him back. Maybe he can have his second chance after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for all your kind responses to chapter one! :)
> 
> A really good indicator of both Bucky and Gabe's mentality in this chapter is the song [ Like Real People Do ](https://youtu.be/yrleydRwWms) by Hozier. 
> 
>  
> 
> I will not ask you where you came from  
> I will not ask you, neither should you  
> Honey just put your sweet lips on my lips  
> We should just kiss like real people do  
> 

Gabe wakes up a few hours later with a gasp.

 

Bucky’s sitting up over him instantly. He hadn't meant to fall asleep, but he couldn't help but get pulled under by Gabe’s comfortable and familiar warmth against him. 

 

“Hey, hey it's okay.” Bucky says softly. He rubs his hand up and down Gabe’s shoulder, trying to soothe him.

 

“Buck, you- what, where are we?” Gabe gasps out.

 

“Calm down sweetheart,” Bucky says, realizing that they never did tell Gabe where he was. Then after a moment he says, “But don’t sit up just yet. You’re probably still weak.”

 

“From what?” Gabe questions. “Where am I?” 

 

Bucky takes a big breath and asks, “Do you remember where you were before you saw me again?”

 

Gabe blinks a few times and furrows his eyebrows up. “On a mission, with the guys. Well, minus you and Cap because we all thought you guys were dead. I can’t- I can’t remember where. It’s fuzzy.” 

 

“Good, that’s real good.” Bucky says, trying out a little smile. “Well,” he laughs, knowing how crazy it’s going to sound in Gabe’s ears. “You must have touched something or gone into something wherever you guys were that transported you… into the future.”

 

“The what?” Gabe says. “ _What_?”

 

“You’re in the future, Gabe.”

 

“How...far into the future are we talkin’?”

 

Bucky sighs. “It’s 2019.” 

 

“What?! How the hell are we in 2019? We’d both be 100!”

 

“I’m 102, actually. You’d be 101.”

 

“How the fuck are you not dead? Shit, how are you not all old and gray? What happened to you?”

 

Bucky closes his eyes and makes himself breathe out through his nose. He pulls Gabe close to him again. Gabe goes, easy and pliant and rests his head on Bucky’s chest. He's so damn touched that Gabe’s first instinct is to worry about him. “A lot, sweetheart. A lot happened to me. But I’m so young-looking because I got the serum that Steve did back when we were in Azzano. It repairs cells.” It’s not exactly a _lie_. The serum is keeping him from aging. That’s just not the entire reason. He’ll tell Gabe one thing at a time.

 

“Shit, Buck. But-but what about Steve? He drove his plane into the ice. He was gone.”

 

“He survived under there and got woken up in 2012.”

 

“Jesus,” Gabe’s breathes. “This is all insane.”

 

Bucky huffs, “You’re tellin’ me.” 

 

“So it’s 2019. You’re here, Steve’s here. You both got the super-serum. I’m here because a magical object transported me here from 1946.” He gives a sick little laugh. “Is there anything else I should know?”

 

Bucy makes a considering noise. Maybe if he just lets it out a little at a time. He starts with the easiest part of his dark past, the part that Gabe might think is disgusting and weird but that he will be able to understand. The part that won’t make Gabe think he’s the scum of the earth. “I have a metal arm.”

 

“You have a _what_?” Gabe exclaims. “Bucky, love-” He leans up from Bucky’s chest and shifts so that he’s straddling Bucky’s hips facing him. “Let me see it.” 

 

Bucky makes a face. Gabe starts says it again before Bucky can object. “Let me see it.”

 

Bucky swallows hard, but pulls off the glove he had fallen asleep wearing and then his long-sleeved shirt quickly. Gabe’s breath catches. 

 

“Holy shit.”

 

Gabe reaches his hand up to touch Bucky’s arm. His fingers connect with the rough scars surrounding Bucky’s shoulder first, the mottled twisting and turning reminders of Bucky's inhumanness. Bucky flinches instinctively. 

 

Gabe pulls his hand back. “Did that hurt?”

 

“No, no. It’s just- weird. No one really touches me there unless they’re a doctor.” 

 

Gabe makes a pained face and reaches out for Bucky’s shoulder again. He runs his fingers up and down where the metal connects to skin. Bucky’s breath hitches. It’s not painful, or sensitive. He can really barely feel it, but it’s _intense_ , having someone touching this part of him so sweetly. It's such a foreign feeling that Bucky can barely stand it. It makes him want to crawl out of his skin while simultaneously crawling into Gabe's. Gabe’s fingers travel over the sloping peak of Bucky’s shoulder down over his metal bicep. The plates of Bucky’s arm shift and whir slightly under Gabe’s fingers. Gabe’s brown eyes are huge on his face. 

 

“It’s amazing.” Gabe says. 

 

“Huh?”

 

“Amazing.” he repeats. “It’s beautiful, really. It looks so much like an arm but- not. It's incredibly well-crafted.”

 

“Oh.” Bucky says. That wasn’t the reaction he was expecting, being told that his arm is beautiful. 

 

Gabe’s fingers move down Bucky’s forearm before they settle on Bucky’s hand. Gabe interlaces their fingers together and gives Bucky’s metal fingers a little squeeze. 

 

“Who gave this to you?” Gabe asks. Bucky can tell he’s trying to hide his concern. “Was it someone from, well, from the future?”

 

“This time, yeah.” Bucky says. Then, “Hydra gave me my first one. After I fell.” 

 

His stomach tightens up after he says it, expecting more questions from Gabe, but all he does is lean forward and pull Bucky close to him. Bucky makes a shocked noise in his chest, but buries his head into the crook of Gabe’s neck and breathes. He still smells the same as he did back then. It sends the part of Bucky’s soul that has been missing a Gabe-shaped piece flying back together. 

 

“ _Tu m'as manqué_ ” Bucky says because it’s true. He missed Gabe in every part of his being. It feels easier to admit in French, like it's a special secret that can stay between the two of them. 

 

“I missed you too.” Gabe says, pulling back and cupping Bucky’s face in his hands. “I missed you every day when you were...gone.” Then leans in and kisses Bucky. 

 

Bucky’s eyes flutter shut at the first touch of Gabe’s lips against his. Their mouths move against each other, slow and sweet and everything that every kiss with Gabe has ever been. Something swells in Bucky’s chest and spreads down through his limbs. He feels warm all over. Gabe slides his tongue into Bucky’s mouth and he moans in his throat when Bucky touches their tongues together. Gabe flicks his tongue into Bucky’s mouth, gliding it past Bucky’s lips. Bucky slides his hands up over Gabe’s strong, naked back and uses them to press Gabe even closer to him. Bucky’s heart is hammering in his chest. He never thought he’d get to kiss Gabe like this again, get to kiss anyone like this again. One of Gabe’s hands travels to the back of Bucky’s neck, he scratches at the soft hair there and deepens the kiss even more, their noses bumping lightly. After a while, Bucky has to pull away to breathe, red-faced and overwhelmed. 

 

“Every day.” Gabe repeats against Bucky’s mouth. “I missed you every single day.” 

 

Bucky kisses him again, soft and quick, just a distraction from how badly he wants to start crying then says, “You got me. I’m here, now.” 

 

Gabe gives him a smile that lights up all four walls of Bucky's bedroom better than sunshine ever could.

 

 

When they finally manage to untangle their limbs and climb out of Bucky’s cozy bed, the sun is setting outside, painting the white walls of the apartment pink and orange. Sam and Steve are waiting for them in the kitchen. Sam immediately stands up from where he was sitting at the table with Steve.

 

“Hey man.” He says, reaching a hand out for Gabe to shake. “I’m Sam Wilson. Big fan of yours.” 

 

“Of mine?” Gabe says, taking hold of Sam’s hand. “Why?”

 

Sam’s eyebrows shoot up in realization, then he explains. “Oh, well, you’re kind of a hero for young black kids. You guys, the Commados, are famous now. Everybody always loves Cap and Bucky, but you were the one that we had growing up. My brother and I had your action figure. I think he even had a lunch box with your picture on it.”

 

Gabe looks a little shocked but he recovers quickly, “I was just trying to help my country, that’s all.” 

 

Sam smiles fondly at him, and his eyes dart over to Steve. Bucky knows that that’s exactly how Steve would have taken a similar complement. There was a reason that the Howling Commandos worked so well together. They all had a similar idea about what was really worth fighting for. “Just know I appreciated it growing up. You did a good thing.”

 

Gabe smiles, eyes shining and gives Sam a little nod.

 

“You want some coffee, Gabe?” Steve says. “We even have milk and sugar to put in it. Real milk.” 

 

Gratitude pools in Bucky’s chest. He had gotten acclimated to most of modern society during his time as an assassin. It was gradual. He'd get woken up for a mission and have time to learn and catch up to the modern era. Steve fell asleep one day in the 40s and woke up 70 years later. He knows exactly what Gabe’s going through, exactly what to say and how to ease him into everything. Steve and Gabe had gotten along famously back in the war. They both analyzed everything in their own ways. Gabe was inquisitive, always asking questions, wanting to know every aspect of the plan. Sometimes he would catch Steve off guard with a question or brought up a chance of the plan going badly that Steve hadn’t considered. The two of them bounced off of each other well. Bucky had always loved watching them work together. 

 

“Sure, Cap. Thanks.”

 

Steve smiles and gets a cup down from the shelf. “Sam’s Captain America now, Gabe. So if anyone’s going by that nickname now it’s him.”

 

Gabe’s eyes light up and he looks over to Sam who’s trying to hide his smile behind his cup of coffee. “A black man is Captain America now.” 

 

Bucky places a hand on the small of Gabe’s back, just taking every opportunity to touch him. “And the new Captain America is dating the old Captain America.”

 

“Oh!” Gabe says, he looks shocked again but he doesn't recover as quickly as the last. “You two are- how do you- no one-”

 

“It's legal now, sweetheart.” Bucky tells him softly. It had been a surprise for him too. Steve as well, probably. “Anyone can get married, regardless of the color of your skin or your gender.”

 

“Huh.” Gabe responds. “That's something.”

 

Gabe looks pretty astounded, Bucky thinks it's adorable. He leans in and gives him a quick peck on the cheek before fetching Gabe’s coffee from Steve and handing it to him.

 

“I know, right?” Steve says. “It took me by surprise too. Everything’s so different now. But don't worry, you have us.”

 

“You haven't lead me astray yet, Steve.”

 

“Not true.” Bucky chimes in, pouring his own coffee. “Remember that time Steve lead us in the wrong direction for two days in Norway?”

 

Gabe barks out a laugh so big it warms Bucky down to his toes. He missed that laugh, god. 

 

“Hey, that's no fair, Buck. Do you remember how we found a Hydra base there anyway? One that we hadn't even known had existed. I was ahead of the curve.”

 

“Yeah, sure.” Bucky chides. He sits down next to Gabe at the dining room table. Gabe’s eyes are wide in childlike wonder. Bucky can tell he's just starting to take in his surroundings. Their house is pretty stocked with modern appliances and conveniences, none of which Gabe’s seen before. 

 

Steve jumps in immediately when he notices, explaining all the gadgets and items to Gabe and answering all of Gabe’s question with this giant smile on his face. When Steve practically drags Gabe into the living room to show him the stereo, Sam comes over to Bucky's side and gives him a little nudge. 

 

“Look at Steve, for once he's not the one with the least technological experience in the room.”

 

Bucky huffs out a laugh, “I hadn't thought about that.”

 

Sam shrugs. “It must just feel good for him, that's all. Gabe too probably, knowing that Steve had to go through all of this as well.”

 

Bucky smiles before he remembers something. The smile drops off his face. He says, “Sam, the stone disappeared.”

 

“Huh?”

 

“The stone. In the lab. When Gabe came through it it vanished.”

 

Sam’s brow furrows and he lets out a long breath. Bucky can see the wheels turning in his head. From the other room, he hears Steve telling Gabe how weird it was to not recognize a single face when he walked through his old neighborhood. Sam hears it too and kind of slumps into himself a little more.

 

Because now Sam knows that Gabe being here isn't just good for Bucky. 

 

“Maybe we can talk to Tony about that in the morning.” Sam says quietly. 

 

Bucky nods. “A few days won't hurt.” Will it?

 

Bucky's seen enough sci-fi movies to know that the cardinal rule of time travel is that the person has to be put back into their own time to set the universe’s alignment back on track. Bucky's also been a superhero long enough now to know that sci-fi books and movies are usually bullshit. He thinks about Gabe’s wife and family. Do they even exist now if he's here? There's been no reports of chaos today. Maybe the universe is just fine. Maybe they don't need to send him back. Maybe he can have his second chance after all. 

 

The rest of the night passes like a dream. Sam, Steve, Bucky and Gabe all get along like four best friends on a double date. They eat. They laugh. They all find ways to tease Steve for what feels like an hour straight. Gabe remembers a few things that Bucky hasn't yet (“Hey, love, remember that time Steve’s shield got stuck in a brick wall and he had to climb on Dum-Dum’s shoulders to get it?”) and thankfully, neither Sam or Steve bring up anything relating to Bucky's memory or history. Bucky hadn't instructed them to do so, but God is he thankful. 

 

Bucky shows Gabe how to use the shower when he starts to look sleepy again and then heads back to go tidy up the living room. He figures that if he were just transported to the future with the man that he loved who he'd thought was dead for a year or so that he'd need some alone time as well. 

 

Sam’s still sitting on the couch, so Bucky abandons his plan of cleaning up and plops down next to him with a sigh. 

 

“Steve gone to bed?” Bucky asks after a quiet moment. 

 

“Yeah.” Sam answers. Then, “You haven't told him why you're really in the future, have you?”

 

Bucky's gut twists up and he says, “No.”

 

“You're scared.” Sam states.

 

Bucky nods. “Everyone knows who I am and what I've done. Everyone but him.”

 

Sam leans into Bucky's shoulder a little, “You know, if he really loves you, he won't care.”

 

“How do you know?”

 

“Because you've tried to kill me multiple times,” Sam answers, plain as day like it's simple, “and you're my best friend.” 

 

Bucky looks up at Sam. He's not used to this type of interaction from him. Sure, Sam knows him better than anyone in this century, probably, but it's not like they go skipping down the street together giggling. They're the type of people that express affection by slapping each other upside the head and calling each other ugly. 

 

“You deserve his love.” 

 

Bucky wants to cry, he can't possibly. Gabe won't possibly love him after he tells him who he really is now. 

 

“Are you sure?” he asks, and he doesn't mean for it to come out as small as it does. 

 

Sam gives his thigh a pat and says, “You should trust me, since I'm a lot smarter than you.”

 

Bucky breaks out into a grin and reaches up to pinch Sam’s ear with his metal fingers. Sam lets out a yelp and Bucky says, “Master tactician my ass,” before standing up.

 

He walks until he's almost out of the room and then turns around to face Sam once more. “Hey.” Bucky says, “thanks, Sam.”

 

Sam smiles in reply.

 

 

Gabe emerges from the shower when Bucky's lying in bed again. The door to the bathroom opens and along with a cloud of steam, the scent of every single shampoo and body wash Bucky owns wafts out of the room. Bucky owns a lot of different bath products now. Smelling good always makes him feel better when he's not feeling all that human.

 

“You had fun in there,” he tells Gabe, feeling his face practically splitting open with a giant, goofy grin. He's helpless but to look at Gabe anyway besides that. 

 

Gabe smiles, “I smell like a flower.” 

 

He's just wearing a pair of Bucky’s boxers. He runs the towel over the ropy, lean muscle of his arms and chest. Bucky can't help but to watch him and try and school his face into something that doesn't look like a hungry animal. 

 

Gabe drops the towel into Bucky’s laundry basket and asks, “You're not seeing anyone, right?”

 

“What?”

 

“I mean, you don't have any dames or fellas you're seeing?” Gabe asks, cocking his head.

 

“No…” Bucky answers slowly. Sex had been the furthest thing from his mind, well, until right this very second.

 

“Good.” Gabe answers, then purposefully strides over to Bucky's side of the bed and climbs into his lap. 

 

Bucky’s still trying to recover when Gabe leans down and starts to kiss him, cupping his jaw in one strong hand. It's a hot and filthy kiss, so different from the one they shared earlier. Gabe’s wet tongue slides across Bucky’s and Bucky can feel his body shudder. He plants his hands on Gabe’s shoulders and pushes him back gently. Fear’s nestling itself into Bucky's chest. 

 

“Wait,” He chokes out. He closes his eyes and takes a deep, steadying breath. “There's something I need to tell you.”

 

“What is it?” Gabe asks, stroking the side of Bucky’s face so gently it almost hurts. Bucky slides Gabe off of his lap and tries to meet his eyes. They're so big and brown, and his eyebrows are pulled together in concern. Bucky looks back down at the blanket near his knees. 

 

“Hydra had me,” he manages. 

 

“You told me they gave you your arm,” Gabe says.

 

“They didn't let me go, and I wasn't rescued either.”

 

“Jesus Buck, how did you escape?” Gabe asks. “Did you hide out for all these years from them? Did Stark help you? Is that why you're working with his son now?”

 

Bucky's heart clenches up. Gabe thinks so highly of him. He thinks Bucky could have escaped. 

 

Bucky squeezes his eyes shut and shakes his head. “They had me for 70 years.”

 

Gabe doesn't say anything at that, so Bucky keeps talking. It's like ripping a bandaid off, he thinks, just do it all at once quickly.

 

“They had already given me the serum, so I was fast and strong- like Steve. They gave me this arm. Then they put these words into my head and took out the rest of me. After the did that, they could say these words and I would have to comply and do they said. They used this machine, a chair, to zap my brain and turn it to mush. I forgot my name, my family, Steve, you. All I remembered was how to kill.”

 

Gabe inhales like he's about to start talking, so Bucky cuts him off. 

 

“I've killed children, women, good people, innocent people, sometimes. I killed Howard Stark and his wife. I killed a damn president. I did it all. I killed them all.”

 

Bucky doesn't realize he's crying until he blinks again and a fresh tear rolls down his cheek. Crying isn't something he's done often, though he's pretty sure he's cried more recently than he ever did before. It's silent in the room for so damn long. It echos loudly in Bucky's ears. He feels sick. He knew this would happen. Gabe’s going to jump out of his bed and run to Steve, begging for a way back to his proper time. Sam was wrong, he knew that this would-

 

Gabe interrupts his train of thought by wiping a tear from Bucky’s face. 

 

“Look at me,” he commands, and slowly, Bucky does.

 

Gabe’s eyes are huge in his face and filled with tears of his own. “So what you're saying is, they brainwashed you, then forced you to kill for them for 70 years?”

 

Bucky gives a nod. 

 

“And we let them.” The tears in his eyes spill out.

 

“What?” Bucky asks.

 

“Shit, not just when Steve was alive either. Buck, the rest of the Howlies, we've been looking for and taking down remnants of Hydra since D day. We never found you. I can't believe we never found you. We- we let you- oh Lord I'm so sorry, Bucky. I'm so damn sorry.” 

 

In a flash Bucky’s turned facing him and kneeling, he pulls Gabe tight to his body, wrapping both arms around him. Gabe’s shoulders shudder and shake. “I'm sorry, I'm sorry,” he murmurs into Bucky’s shoulder. 

 

“You didn't- you didn't know.” Bucky soothes, rubbing the back of Gabe’s neck with his right hand. “How could you have known?” This is not the response he predicted. This isn't what he thought would happen. He hurts. He aches all over. He doesn't want Gabe to bear this pain, so he kisses the top of Gabe’s head where he's pressed against him.

 

Gabe sobs and breathes out, “ _Je suis désolé_ ”

 

The French hits Bucky straight where it counts. They had always spoken French to each other when Dernier wasn't in earshot. It was like their secret language, since none of the other Howlies spoke it. Bucky gets a flash memory of telling Gabe sweet and sometimes filthy things just to make him laugh and give Bucky a shove. It means them. It means Gabe doesn't know how to really express himself any other way. 

 

“It's okay,” Bucky chokes. “ _je t'aime_.” He says it soft, again and again, making sure Gabe feels it.

 

Gabe finally picks his head up from Bucky's shoulder. “If I had just looked for you-”

 

“Stop.” Bucky says, as sternly as he can manage. “I don't want to hear it.” Then he kisses Gabe, partially to shut him up and partially because he can't bear not to. 

 

It's different than the first two kisses they've shared today. It's a third kind of kiss, one that twists up Bucky's insides. It's wet, saliva and tears mixing up with hot breath. It's clinking teeth and the too-hard press of lips. It's guttural, animal, feral. It runs deep and pulls at the lingering tendrils inside Bucky's soul; the ones that connect him to the world around him. Maybe he gets a little more grounded with it, or maybe he just flies off somewhere into the stratosphere. Gabe’s clutching at him everywhere, nails that could use a trim digging into Bucky's neck, his chest, his stomach and his arms- making a sound so harsh that Bucky's hairs on the nape of his neck stand up. He has both hands anchored on Gabe’s hips, keeping him close, keeping them together. Gabe bites on his bottom lip and whines in his throat, pleading.

 

Gabe pulls back. He blinks hard and fresh tears streak down his cheeks. “I'll never stop looking for you. If I- if I go back I'll never-” 

 

Bucky grinds his words to a halt when he grabs Gabe’s face hard in both his hands. He kisses him again, since he doesn't want to hear it. 

 

 _Let me just be here_ , he begs silently, and Gabe just gets it. Gabe always gets him. The kiss shifts from gritty and ugly to something languid and bleeding. It slows and becomes a slick glide of tongues and mouths. Bucky’s breathing heavily out his nose. They're so damn close. He can feel Gabe pressed up against him, all lean muscle and sweating skin. Bucky's hands travel down from his face to caress his shoulders. He loves all over them with his fingertips, just gently pressing in enough for Gabe to feel it. Gabe’s so strong, Bucky remembers this, but he feels so small under Bucky's hands that Bucky whimpers. He doesn't remember feeling this big against Gabe. It's a sharp reminder of how time and the world separated them even more. It reminds him how with every passing day they grew further and further apart. He pushes it down and licks into Gabe’s mouth, anchoring himself in the here and now. Gabe's here, now.

 

It's been so long since anyone's touched him like this, since anyone ran their hands over the muscles in his stomach and back, since anyone's ground their hips down on top of his. Gabe was the last person he's been with and here he is again- tipping his head back and gasping so Bucky can kiss down his sweet skin. 

 

It feels so _good_ that Bucky thinks he starts crying again, fuck. Did he ever stop?

 

He gets comfy with Gabe on his lap, since it's apparent that they’ll have to make do in this position, neither of them willing to compromise, neither of them willing to break apart long enough to find their way to a different one.

 

Bucky reaches over blindly to his bedside table where he keeps his lube. He lets go of Gabe’s lips long enough to say, “I don't have a-”

 

“Shh,” Gabe admonishes, then he dives right back in again.

 

Bucky's heart is pounding in his ears. Their skin is slick with salty sweat. It's smearing between them. Bucky slides a wet finger inside of Gabe and all Gabe can do is pant into his mouth for a while. Bucky wonders if he's the last person Gabe’s slept with too. 

 

Gabe brings him back with a roll of his hips and a shot of pleasure up Bucky’s spine. 

 

“Gimmie more,” he mumbles in Bucky's mouth and of course Bucky obliges. Of course, because who is Bucky Barnes to deny Gabe Jones a damn thing so he slides another finger into him and lets Gabe rock and moan on the renewed stretch.

 

They're still so close. Gabe's fingers are scrabbling at his back now, digging in just enough. Bucky adds a third finger when he feels like Gabe’s ready and Gabe just shudders and gasps in return. 

 

“In me. Please.” Gabe gasps, “ _S'il vous plaît. S'il vous plaît_.”

 

“Fuck,” Bucky swears then withdraws his fingers. He has to lift Gabe up a little to get his dick ready and he does so with just his metal arm. Gabe’s eyes flutter shut but before he can say a word Bucky's right there. Then he's easing inside.

 

There was a time, back home. Was it the first time? No, maybe the third or fourth time they fucked. But it was the first time they really fucked. Not up against a tree, not pressed into dirt. Bucky had a cot, a real honest to goodness bed to press Gabe into. He remembers thinking that he couldn't possibly feel better than he did in that moment.

 

He remembers the sweet little noises Gabe made in the back of his throat, trying desperately to stay quiet as Bucky fucked him. It was before Azzano, before almost all the fucked up bullshit they both went through. Bucky remembers feeling like he was unstoppable. He thought that nothing would ever compare, ever come close to that moment. 

 

He knows, here and now, that he was dead wrong.

 

Gabe’s so tight around him, letting out these little gasps and grunts as he gets adjusted to Bucky's girth. Bucky kisses his lips, his salty cheeks, his eyebrow. He rests their sweating foreheads together and breathes into Gabe’s mouth. 

 

He strokes fingers up and down Gabe’s spine, coaxing and gentle. “ _Allons, c'est ça_ ,” he mutters softly when Gabe starts to rock slowly on him.

 

Their movements are tiny and aborted, the need to stay close outweighing everything else. It's been a damn long time for both of them, so neither of them need too much. The moment feels heavy, pressing down on Bucky's shoulders and making them slump down closer to Gabe. 

 

“ _Tu es beau,_ ” Bucky manages, strangled and the words against his lips make Gabe moan.

 

“I'm close.” Gabe breathes after feels like hours, both of their concepts of time must be shot to shit. 

 

“Good,” Bucky groans. “Baby, that's it. You come when you need to. I'll be there. I promise.”

 

Gabe tightens up around him and grabs hold of both of Bucky's biceps, metal and skin, as Bucky uses his hands to bounce him up and down on his dick a little. 

 

“Oh, oh,” Gabe moans and it takes Bucky's breath away when he comes between their bellies.

 

“Jesus,” Bucky swears, so damn close. He keeps moving Gabe on top of him. 

 

Gabe pets at his hair and gasps- too oversensitive- every time Bucky moves him. He gives Bucky a kiss and murmurs, “ _Tu es incroyable._ ”

 

Bucky gasps, the praise going straight through him, and comes. He moans and holds Gabe’s body still and close as he fills him up. 

 

They pant, after. Bucky's been tired since he came back to the land of the real life people, sure, but he's never been tired like this. He feels good, muscles aching and body sated. Gabe's breathing hard with his head on Bucky's shoulder, Bucky still inside of him. 

 

“I love you, Sarge.” He says, whispering just as quietly as he did in 1943 when he told Bucky for the first time.

 

Bucky kisses the top of his head. He lays them both down. He slips out of Gabe but makes sure that Gabe stayed pressed tightly against him. He covers them both up. They can worry about cleaning up in the morning. 

 

He closes his eyes, whispers, “ _Tu es le mien pour toujours_ ,” and draws soothing patterns along Gabe’s back with his fingers.

 

 

 

The next morning, Thor arrives.

 

It's not that big of an affair for Gabe or Bucky. Sam slips his head into the bedroom door shortly after nine in the morning to tell them he's here and in the lab.

 

They dress quietly. Bucky feels his anxiety mounting again. He feels like he's in a roller coaster, destined to get stuck at the top.

 

Gabe senses it and gives his butt a squeeze after he slides his jeans up over it. “We’re okay, Buck,” he says and kisses Bucky on the cheek.

 

“Yeah.” Bucky replies, gathering a shirt. He sure damn hopes so.

 

 

 

Sam pulls up the picture of the stone after everyone’s gone and said hello to Thor.

 

Thor barks out a laugh so loud Bucky jumps, “I know this stone!”

 

“From where?” Sam asks, sounding as surprised as Bucky feels at Thor’s admission and excitement.

 

“I thought it was just a fairy tale, a children’s bedtime story.” Thor says, shaking his head incredulously. “My mother and father told it to me when I was young. I had no idea that it-” he cuts himself off, sensing the mounting tension in the room and then begins to tell the story. 

 

“Long, long ago there was a king by the name of Nealon. Nealon was destined for the throne from birth, being his father’s only son. As he grew older, he started to fall for his father’s assistant’s daughter, Philomena.”

 

Bucky looks over at Gabe, checking in. Hearing an ancient Norse fairy tale seems to be right up Gabe’s alley however, since he's watching Thor with apt attention. Just past Gabe, Bucky sees that Steve is too. But in Steve's case, he's not so much listening as he is staring at Thor like he's shining brighter than the bifrost.

 

“When Nealon became of age he was asked to chose a wife. It was customary, back then, that if someone of wealth chose you to marry them you would absolutely agree to do so. Nealon predictably chose Philomena since he believed the two of them had gotten rather close as they were growing up side by side. Philomena shocked everyone and _refused_.” Thor crosses his arms and leans back against one of Stark’s lab tables before he continues. “Philomena’s parents were furious at her, as was the royal family, so she had her status taken from her and was forced to live the rest of her life as a peasant in the village. This did not trouble her at all, as she was already in love.”

 

“With who?” Sam asks.

 

“There was a sorceress by the name of Beatrycze, the tale says. Beatrycze was beautiful, kind and extraordinarily powerful. The king and other high members of the royal court summoned her often to help them with their needs. She could heal the sick, she could summon riches, she could protect the entire kingdom from harm with a single flick of her wrist. During one of these visits, years before Nealon ever dreamed of marrying Philomena, the two of them had met.”

 

“Wow.” Steve says, all breathless. His cheeks are even pink. Bucky knows that look.

 

Sam rolls his eyes, very purposefully angles his body away from Steve and questions, “So what does this have to do with the stone?”

 

Thor breaks out into a grin. “In time, Samuel. Also, may I just say that you are looking rather exquisite this morning. I believe it is the morning sun that makes your skin-”

 

“Thor, buddy, the story.” Sam says sharply. Bucky can practically feel the heat coming off of his cheeks. Behind him, Steve’s eyes are big as saucers. Bucky's pretty sure he won't retain a single part of this story from this point on. 

 

“Right. Sorry,” Thor says then he clears his throat and continues. “Beatrycze and Philomena had met in the years prior to Nealon asking for Philomena’s hand. The pair had taken to each other instantly. They shared similar ideals, morals. The two of them courted secretly, behind closed doors, using Beatrycze’s magic to keep their love secret and protected.”

 

Bucky's chest flutters a bit at that. 

 

“After Philomena was banished to the village, the two of them became more lax with their affections. In the palace, Nealon became more and more bitter and angry. Soon, it became common knowledge that Beatrycze and Philomena were in love so Nealon being the unfair and angry man that he was, banished Beatrycze to _Niflheim_ , a dark world made out of nothing but mist, ice and snow. The sun never shone there, and Beatrycze would be forced to live in solitude forever. Nealon thought that with the great sorceress removed, he could finally have the wife he wanted. He was wrong.”

 

“Imagine that,” Sam mumbles.

 

“No one to this day truly knows how powerful Beatrycze really was. But while she was on _Niflheim_ she used her magic to summon an emerald from one of the misty caves in her new realm. She poured her love for Philomena into it. She poured the want that she felt, the agony that she felt, the anger and longing that she felt into the stone. It broke into two. She commanded the newer smaller stone to go and find her love so that they could be reunited, and it did, finding Philomena in her home in their old village. When she touched it, she was instantly brought to where Beatrycze was. That is how the pair saw each other from then on. If Beatrycze was missing her love, she would touch the Stone of Desiderans and wait until Philomena would see her stone glowing and touch it as well. They didn't let anything stop them from being able to love each other. The legend goes that whoever touches the Stone of Desiderans with true longing in their heart can be reunited with their love if he or she possesses the second stone. It doesn't matter the place or time. The stone will always reunite the two lovers. The stone never forgets someone who is longing. When the stone is done its job, it returns back to its creator to be kept safe.”

 

Bucky's overwhelmed by the story alone. He got a sharp pain in his head as soon as Thor said the stone’s name. The pain is spreading now, making him feel cloudy. He feels a memory just out of his reach. He wants to reach out and grab for it.

 

“So that's what I touched?” Gabe questions incredulously.

 

“It seems like it, yes.” Thor answers.

 

Gabe furrows his eyebrows. “But then Buck-”

 

Sam's in front of him in an instant, standing a bit closer than normal. “The box,” he says. “You've seen the box before. 

 

Bucky's head starts to hurt even worse. Sam needs to back up. Sam needs to fucking hug him. What about the box? Bucky clenches his fists and his metal arm whirs.

 

Sam pays it no mind, but Gabe does- eyes growing wide and flicking down.

 

“You've seen the box before.” Sam repeats. “You told me that.”

 

Bucky tries his best to nod. He can't fucking breathe.

 

“Why did you touch that stone, Bucky? Where were you? Maybe they can help us.” 

 

The memory hits Bucky so hard he nearly falls over. Sam’s hands come to his side to steady him before he can. “Hydra,” he manages, “They used it to break me.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Tu m'as manqué_ \- I missed you  
>  _Je suis désolé_ \- I'm sorry  
>  _je t'aime_ \- I love you  
>  _S'il vous plaît_ \- please  
>  _Tu es beau_ \- You're beautiful  
>  _Allons, c'est ça_ \- Come on, that's it  
>  _Tu es incroyable_ \- You're amazing  
>  _Tu es le mien pour toujours_ \- You are mine forever

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you all enjoyed!! Feel free to come talk with me on [ tumblr!](unclesteeb.tumblr.com)
> 
> Special thank you to my beta, Kira!!! Find her on [ Ao3](http://archiveofourown.org/users/pizzadog20/pseuds/pizzadog20) and [Tumblr](http://spooky-redwing.tumblr.com)


End file.
